Christmas is over and I've been thinking about which direction to take The Polka Dot Store in 2012. I want to continue to carry the highest quality baby gifts and accessories. If you have suggestions for great products you would like to see at The Polka Dot Store, please sent us your comments.  I would also like to receive comments about great products you think we already have available. I look forward to hearing from you!

Little Giraffe Blanket

This little guy loves his White Chenille Blanket by Little Giraffe!  It is the perfect size for his daily stroll.

Product Reviews

We have a new baby in The Polka Dot Store family.  Little Max is 2 1/2 weeks old and is getting lots of use out of his gifts purchased at The Polka Dot Store.  When we go on a buying trip to market, we try to find the highest quality products to sell in our store.  Three of our products we have used over and over the past two weeks are listed below with a brief review of the product.

Giraffe Everykid Towel by 3 Marthas:  This towel has been fabulous at bathtime.  It is large enough to keep Max warm so he won't get chilled while getting his sponge bath.  After taking the towel out of the dryer today I was amazed at how soft the towel was.  It washes great and honestly gets softer with each wash!

BabyLegs Newborn Leg Warmers:  Max has three pair of newborn leg warmers.  My daughter likes one design so much, she asked for two pair.  They seem to go with most of Max's outfits.  Since the weather is still warm here in the south, I didn't think we would need leg warmers here until after Christmas!  Boy was I wrong.  Max's pediatrician prefers for him to sleep with the thermostat at 70 degrees.  The leg warmers have been a perfect choice to keep his little legs from getting cold.  He wears them with his gowns, onesies, and sleep sacs.

Little Giraffe Luxe Burpy:  Max has this burpy in blue and it is awesome.  I could carry this burpy around all the time!  It is so soft and comes out of the dryer so soft it is hard to fold and put away.  You want to use it all the time!  Max has several styles of burpies from Little Giraffe and they all come out of the washer and dryer looking like new each time.

As time goes on and we get more use out of Max's gifts, we will keep you posted with our reviews.

Recent Monograms

Hi All,

I thought I would take the time tonight to post some of the recent monograms we have done.

I love seeing the font choices my customers select.  The results are always so cute!

A new selection of plush animals has arrived from Melissa & Doug.  I grouped them all for a picture and added a new plush Squirrel from Bearington Baby.

The faces and details are really great.  I just love the white Tiger.  There is also a wonderful 4ft. Giraffe, not shown, which can be ordered.  He is adorable!

Personalized Little Giraffe Luxe Blanket

The Polka Dot Store is priviledged to offer blankets, blankys, and burps by Little Giraffe. Little Giraffe offers the very best luxury baby products.  Over the years Little Giraffe has made many changes to their product line but the quality has always stayed top notch.  I recently personalized the Luxe Aqua & White Duo Geometric Blanket.  It has become my new favorite!  The fabric is so soft it is hard to stop touching the blanket.  I'm including several pictures of the finished product. 

New BabyLegs Sun Protection Arm and Leg Warmers

If you're heading to the beach this 4th of July weekend or have a trip planned to the lake or beach this summer, think about using BabyLegs legwarmers from their Cools Kids collection.  These adorable leg warmers are made from a lightweight breathable mesh knit fabric and offer UPF 50+ protection.  Little ones can wear them on their arms and legs while playing in the and or the water. Not only does the breathable fabric keep your little one cool and protected but it comes in fun prints.  The price is $12.00 and here are the designs we carry:

Hibiscus

Swimming UP

Starfish

http://www.thepolkadotstore.com/accessories.shtml

Cloth Diaper Project

If you are following this blog, you probably know my two daughters help me with buying for The Polka Dot Store.  My oldest daughter is expecting in September and wants to use cloth diapers.  She decided it would be a good project for the two of us to make diapers +while she was at home last week.  Cloth diapers have come a long way since my children were babies!  The ones we made are cute but they are very time consuming to make.  Below is a picture of two diapers we completed.  I can't wait until Max gets here to try them out!

If you have used cloth diapers on your little one, I would love to hear your opinion on the pros and cons of using cloth diapers.

New Fonts

When you order something to be personalized from at The Polka Dot Store  http://www.thepolkadotstore.com , you can look at sample name fonts and sample monogram fonts to make your selection.  These are just a small selection of our more popular fonts.  If you have a font in mind that you don't see offered, email us at granysheirlooms@hotmail.com and ask if the font is available.  Below is a picture of some of the cute fonts we have added recently.

BumbleBee and Geronto are capital letters only. Aren't these fonts fun!

Recent Monograms

We have been busy here at The Polka Dot Store recently.  Below are a few of the cute monograms and personalizing we have done.  It's so much fun to see how customer's selections look after being stitched!

Bunny Lovie by Mud Pie Font 21, Pastel Pink Chick Burp by 3 Marthas stitched in Font 38 in medium pink thread.

Recent new arrivals include swaddling blankets by Luna Lullaby, Tres Jolie sleeper by Mud Pie, Tutu dress by Mud Pie, and duffle bags/backpacks by Oak Patch Gifts.  We will try to get them on the website as soon as possible.  They are adorable!

www.thepolkadotstore.com 





New Litle Giraffe Blanekts, Blankys, and Burps

New blankets, blankys, and burps from Little Giraffe have arrived and they are gorgeous!  I tried something new with the pictures.  I think it gives them a fresh new look instead of the standard white background picture.  After experimenting with my picture proccessing software, I've discovered a really cool way to make a collage of the blanket pictures.  It will be attached below and I would love to hear any comments concerning the collage or the new blankets.  The new Bella series is absolutely wonderful.  It is a little thicker with texture than the original chenille fabric.  For now, The Polka Dot Store only carries the Lavender Damask blanket and blanky from this series.  The feel of this blanket is so soft!  You will love it as much as I do.

Cute Stuffed Bunnies for Easter

We have just gotten in the cutest stuffed bunnies with long ears that can be personalized on the colored side of one of the ears.  One of these bunnies would look so cute in an Easter basket.  The bunny with the blue on the inside of the ear is called Floppy Longears and the bunny with the pink on the inside of the ear is called Loppy Longears.  They are just adorable!

Floppy Longears

Loppy Longears

 Find Floppy and Loppy Longears under the Miscellaneous Tab at http://www.thepolkadotstore.com










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Introducing: Pickles Journey

At the January Gift Market in Atlanta, we found a fabulous new line of baby blankets, animal blankys, and bibs.  Pickles is the baby division of the quality manufacturer Scene Weaver.  Journey is the Pickles line of faux fur products.  These blankets, blankys, and bibs are incredibly soft and luxurious.  The prints are wonderful and we are especially fond of the new Old Paint design. A coordinating satin edge is added to each product.  We offer monogramming on all our products by Pickles Journey. Visit our website and see what we are so excited about http://www.thepolkadotstore.com/ .

Free Shipping During Anniversary Celebration

This week as been busy!  Thank you to all the new customers and loyal repeat customers for all the orders.  I love seeing what fonts and color choices my customers select for their items.  Each one turns out unique and adorable.  The Anniversary Celebration with free shipping ends tomorrow night at midnight.  Take advantage of this great offer before it ends!

Below are pictures of items personalized for customers this week:



3 Marthas Towels and burp, burps by Swaddle Designs




Vive Le Fete Smocked Diaper Bag, Fancy Monogram



5th Anniversary Celebration

Happy Anniversary to The Polka Dot Store!  It doesn't seem like five years ago The Polka Dot Store.com became a reality. This week (18th-25th) we are offering FREE SHIPPING on all orders.  We are so excited to be offering this to our customers!  Also, new items are coming in from orders placed at market in January in Atlanta.  Check the website daily to see what new items are showing up.  There are fantastic new products from Mud Pie, 3 Marthas, Swaddle Designs, Pickles Baby line, Little Things Mean A Lot, and BabyLegs.

Recent Monograms

The Polka Dot Store has been busy.  Below some of the most recent monograms we have done on products:

Resent Monograms

We've been stitching some adorable monograms on our products.  A few of the latest are featured below.  The Pastel Pink and Brown Dot Ultimate Receiving Blanket by Swaddle Designs is stitched using brown thread in the Arabesque 8 font.  Sage Green thread is used to stitch the Fancy Monogram on the Pink Polka Dot Everykid Towel by 3 Marthas.  A special order blanket by Granny's Attic is monogrammed on the hem in blue using the Arial font.  Lastly, the Red Truck Hooded Towel by 3 Marthas is stitched in red thread in the Century Schoolbook font.

We think it is so much fun to see the monograms after they are stitched out!

October 18, 2010

Good morning everyone! The Polka Dot Store has a great new menu and several news products have been added to the website. 3 Marthas has several new collections and we are carrying the new Baseball, Penguin, Posh Pup, and Giraffe series. Bibs, burps, and gowns are available in the new collections. If there are other products in the collections you would like available on the website, please let us know!

October 12, 2010

Good Morning!

The Polka Dot Store website has a new menu! The new menu gives the website a fresh look! Take a look and tell us what you think. www.thepolkadotstore.com

September 20, 2010

This cute Horse Wobbie by Mud Pie was personalized with the name "Jackson" in the Segoe Print font. Didn't it turn out cute? The horse rattle fits snuggly in the little pocket.

September 13, 2010

We are so excited The Polka Dot Store website has a new look! Janet worked very hard to give the website a fresh new look. We invite you to take a look and let us know what you think!

http://www.thepolkadotstore.com

September 7, 2010

I am very sad to say two of my vendors have given notice they are closing their doors. Mullins Square closed their company last week and Mary James will close in October. They were great companies to deal with and I will miss their great products. The Polka Dot store will continue selling products from both companies until we run out of inventory. Order while we still have available merchandise!

August 21, 2010

We have the best customers!

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

One of the first vendors we started ordering from when we opened The Polka Dot Store was Little Giraffe. They are a wonderful company offering the most luxurious products on the market today. We carry items from their baby collection but they also offer an At Home collection. The blankets, burp cloths, security blankets, and hooded towels come in three textures. The Velvet Deluxe Collection is soft and light weight while the Chenille Collections is a heavier weight ideal for colder climates. Best of all is the Luxe Collection. You will be amazed at how soft and luxurious it feels. The superior quality and easy care of all the Little Giraffe products is sure to please any new mom. New patterns are frequently added to the Little Giraffe Collections to give them a fresh trendy look. Below are the approximate sizes for their products.



Blanket (Chenille & Luxe) 29 x 35

Blanket (satin chenille) 35 x 45

Blanky 14 x 14

Burpy 17 x 13

Hooded Towel 41 x 24



Recommended care is machine washing in warm water with a gentle detergent and drying on the lowest temperature setting, with no heat. Remove while still damp. Finish drying flat. Never use bleach. Many of their products are woven from poly-microfibers, which fuse together when exposed to prolonged heat.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Part of the lastest order from Mud Pie arrived today. It was so exciting to open the box and take out the new merchandise. The Holiday Tutu is just adorable. We will be working hard to get the new merchandise ready to put on the website.

July 25, 2010

Our Monogrammed Diaper Covers can be personalized with a name, single initial, or 3-letter monogram. In this picture, the name Campbell is stitched using the Curlz font and light blue thread. The diaper cover can be found under the Accessories tab on our website.

This is a picture of the Little Sprout Hooded Towel by Mud Pie that we personalized for a customer. The Comic Sans font was used to stitch the name in hot pink thread. This adorable towel came be found under the Linens tab on our website.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Personalizing the products we offer is a large part of The Polka Dot Store. Here are a few photos of work we have done recently.

White with Big Blue Check Hooded Towel and Washcloth by 3 Marthas personalized in the Comic Sans font in medium blue thread.



Airplane Bib by Mullins Square in the Jester font using red thread.

Unicorn Backpack by Stephen Joseph in Edwardian Script font using white thread,

Personalized Cotton Knit Bib in the Curlz font using hot pink thread.

We offer a variety of font choices and thread colors but if you don't see a font or thread color you want, please send us a message telling us what you would like.

In the coming posts, I plan to post bios about different brands we carry. We try very hard to find the very best brands with the highest quality products.

Monday, July 19, 2010

I'm so excited about the new merchandise I found this weekend at Gift Market in Atlanta. Little Giraffe has some exciting new designs. Mud Pie has darling new Christmas items. Swaddle Designs new paisley collection is fantastic and 3 Marthas has several great new collections. I can't wait for it to start coming in!

July 11, 2010

Welcome to The Polka Dot Store blog, Behind The Monogram!